Facial tissue is sold and dispensed from a variety of containers. In many instances, facial tissue is marketed and sold in disposable, rigid, cardboard containers for home use. Sometimes, decorative covers are used. Such covers are designed to fit upon (and over) a tissue box, to increase the decorative appeal and attractiveness of the box as it is provided on a flat surface for dispensing.
One drawback to current containment apparatus for tissues is that many of such containers do not lend themselves to easy and convenient transport. That is, large rectangular tissue boxes are inconvenient to carry in the course of daily activity. Smaller travel packs of tissue have been sold and used for mobile applications. Sometimes, but not always, such travel packs have included a smaller sized tissue sheet, with a decreased width and length of each tissue sheet as compared to tissues that are sold in full sized boxes.
Typically, such small travel packs comprise a stack of tissue that is housed within a plastic or polymer wrap. For example, some currently used travel packs marketed in Europe provide outer pack dimensions of about 8 inches (about 20 cm) in length and about 4 inches (about 10 cm) in width. Other travel packs are common in the United States which have dimensions of only about 4-5 inches (about 10 cm) in length and about 3 inches (about 7.5 cm) in width.
Many currently available travel packs are disposable, and therefore are not refillable. Travel packs typically include only one plastic opening (usually perforated) on one side of the plastic container. The single top side opening is often too small to enable the convenient insertion of additional tissues, as would be required to refill the pack. Additionally, tissue products containing lotion are not commonly packaged in portable packs due to incompatibility of the lotion with such plastic wrap coverings. Many currently available tissue travel packs are not designed for long term use, as the thin plastic outer covering of such packs is normally not capable of withstanding long term use and rough handling without breaking or tearing.
Consumer research reveals that people using travel packs would prefer to have a more substantial, more attractive, refillable tissue container. It has been determined that consumers are interested in using a more durable and attractive tissue container that is adapted to be carried on their person to school, work, and other places in connection with their daily activities. Many tissue users prefer to have tissues on their person at all times, wherever they go.
Students often do not have tissues available to them in a classroom setting, and therefore a travel pack designed to adapt to school use would be very desirable. Many students carry backpacks and book bags which are loaded with heavy books. Fragile items such as currently available travel packs may easily tear and break, resulting in the tissues becoming soiled or contaminated. Rigid boxed containers of tissue may become crushed and deformed if carried in backpacks or other items of personal luggage. Further, such rigid boxes are usually too large to be used in such a manner.
It is therefore be highly desirable to provide a durable tissue container that is not rigid, but is flexible, and which will not easily crush or become deformed. A container that is capable of being refilled by the user would be useful. Furthermore, a durable and attractive container that is small enough to fit easily into or upon a purse, glove compartment, backpack, book bag, briefcase, or other personal carry tote would be very desirable. A container that is capable of maintaining tissues clean and fresh while being carried with a person during his or her daily activities would be useful. Furthermore, a container that is easy to access and use when carried on or in a tote bag would be desirable.
A summary of the invention is provided below. The invention may take many forms, and the description provided herein is a rendition of several examples of the many diverse formats of the invention, and the invention is not limited to the specific structures described.
It is one object of the invention to provide a durable tissue container that is not rigid, and will not easily crush or become deformed. A further object of the invention is to provide a tissue container that is capable of being refilled by the user.
Another object of the invention is to provide a durable and attractive container that is small enough to fit easily into or upon a purse, glove compartment, pocket, backpack, book bag, briefcase, or other personal carry tote. A container which is capable of keeping tissues clean and fresh while being carried with a person during his or her daily activities is one application of the invention.
In one embodiment of the invention, it is an objective to provide a container as described, but with a pop-up tissue feature.
In still other embodiments of the invention, a container that is easy to access and use when carried on, attached to, or kept in a tote or backpack would be desirable.
In the invention, a flexible container having a first wall, a second wall, and a plurality of sides is provided. The first wall includes a dispensing opening for releasing tissues and a second wall having a loading opening through which new tissues are admitted into the container to replenish the supply of tissues in the container. The container also may include an attachment margin, the margin being located along one edge of the container wherein at least one hole is provided in a wall of the container along said margin, the hole being configured and sized for interaction with a clasping device.
The dispenser may also include, in another embodiment, a margin comprising at least three holes along its length. The dispenser may be adapted for interaction with a multi-ring binder. A flexible container may be constructed of a material selected from cloth, nylon, plastic and fabric.
The loading opening in the dispenser should be capable of opening and closing using an enclosure system. The enclosure system may include a fastening means such as a zipper, snaps, hook and loop type releasable fasteners, tape, buttons/holes, or resealable plastic. An enclosure system that is waterproof or water resistant also may be provided.
The dispenser, in one embodiment, provides tissues in a folded stack such that the tissues are operably connected to each other. This arrangement enables a first tissue to be pulled from the dispensing opening, and a second tissue immediately made available for grasping by emerging from the dispensing opening into a ready position. This is sometimes referred to as a xe2x80x9cpop-upxe2x80x9d configuration. The dispenser may provide the tissues in a bi-fold configuration, in which the stacked tissues are folded lengthwise at their midline, in other embodiments.
A dispenser may be provided containing about 20 to about 100 tissues when the container is fully loaded. However, other embodiments may employ less or more tissues, depending upon the geometry and size of the container.
In some embodiments, there is a clip attached to the container. The clip may be used to attach the container to any object, including but not limited to key chains, backpacks, purses, tote bags, briefcases, coats, clothing, carry-on bags, luggage, and the interior of automobiles.
In one aspect of the invention, a portable, refillable tissue dispenser is provided which comprises a tissue storage means, in which the tissue storage means includes a flexible material, the tissue storage means having a first and a second planar surface, the first planar surface comprising a dispensing opening adapted to release tissues, the second planar surface comprising a tissue loading opening through which new tissues may be admitted to the container to replenish the tissue supply in the container. Further, in other embodiments, the tissues are provided adjacent to one another while in a storage mode and then held erect and partially on the exterior of the tissue storage means while in a grasping mode. The tissues may be folded upon themselves so as to be capable of self-feeding, whereby the outermost tissue being held erect in the grasping mode is, when pulled from the container, capable of leading the next adjacent tissue into an erect grasping mode. In this way, each successive tissue is pulled from the container as the succeeding tissues are brought into the erect grasping mode and made available for the tissue user.